ARTICLES ABOUT OIL COMPANIES BY DATE - PAGE 2

The atmosphere at the Sungate Diner in Marcus Hook on Monday morning was hardly remarkable - waitresses busy with food orders, the clatter of dishes, and the din from light chatter over morning coffee. But the conversation at one table stood out. Local business owners had gathered to meet with U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan (R., Pa.) and talk about how the possible closing of oil refineries would affect Marcus Hook and Trainer. "Those refineries are vital to us," said Marie Horn, owner of the Star Hotel in Marcus Hook.

Alfred J. Navazio, 88, of Bustleton, a pioneer in the use of aircraft for oil exploration, died of complications of emphysema on Sunday, Aug. 7, at Holy Redeemer Hospital in Meadowbrook. Soon after he was hired in 1949 as a photographer for Aero Service, an aerial surveying company, Mr. Navazio began collaborating with physicist Homer Jensen. The two developed equipment to search for oil and minerals from the air. Mr. Navazio's magnetic gradiometer measured changes in the Earth's magnetic fields to pinpoint the location of deposits.

June 9, 2011 | By Francesca Levy and David K. Randall, Associated Press

NEW YORK - A few signs of growth in the U.S. economy weren't enough to halt another slide in the stock market Wednesday. A survey released by the Federal Reserve showed that the pace of recovery was uneven across the country. While seven of the Fed's 12 districts reported steady gains, the economy stalled in the Philadelphia, New York, Atlanta, and Chicago regions, the Fed said. Dallas was the only region to report accelerated growth. That was largely due to the effect of higher oil prices on the region's energy industry.

WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats tried Tuesday to channel public anger at $4-a-gallon gasoline into passing a bill to repeal federal tax breaks and subsidies for five major oil companies, but they fell short. After bashing Big Oil in a hearing last week, Senate Democrats mustered fewer than the 60 votes they needed under Senate rules to move the bill to a final vote. The final count was 52-48. Three Democrats - Sens. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Mark Begich of Alaska, and Ben Nelson of Nebraska - voted against the measure.

WASHINGTON - Motorists are paying around $4 for a gallon of gasoline while the oil industry reaps pretax profits that could hit $200 billion this year. That makes another big number hard to take: $4.4 billion. That's how much the oil industry saves every year through tax breaks intended to promote domestic drilling. That was the background Thursday for a Senate hearing that flogged oil-company chief executive officers - and no senator bothered to pretend it was about making gasoline prices more affordable or helping the economy recover from the recession.

Obama criticizes tax breaks for oil WASHINGTON - President Obama reiterated his call Saturday to end billions of dollars in tax breaks for oil companies and instead invest in alternative-energy sources. In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama said the United States shouldn't be granting $4 billion in tax breaks to oil companies when they are reaping tens of billions of dollars in profit and gasoline prices have risen above $4 per gallon in much of the nation. "While rising gas prices mean real pain for our families at the pump, they also mean bigger profits for oil companies," the president said.

MIAMI - After being hammered for a year over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, BP is going on the offensive with multibillion-dollar lawsuits seeking to shift at least part of the blame to those who owned the ill-fated rig or designed a failed safety device or supplied cement that did not hold. Those companies - Transocean, Cameron International, and Halliburton - each filed lawsuits of their own, and it will be up to the courts to divvy up fault. As of Thursday, BP had already paid out more than $3.9 billion to people and businesses through a separate, $20 billion claims process administered by lawyer Kenneth Feinberg.

THOSE jack-in-the-box ovations he got Tuesday may have been the only acts of Congress that President Obama's State of the Union address would prompt. Until he called on Congress to take the one step that made sense to anyone smart enough to lace up his boots. He was urging the lawmakers to help break our dependence on fossil fuels by investing in new energy technologies. "And to help pay for it," he said, "I'm asking Congress to eliminate the billions in taxpayer dollars we currently give to oil companies.

In 2009 New Jersey began requiring new equipment on oil-storage tanks at the refinery in Paulsboro and facilities like it in a move to curb emissions that can cause respiratory illness. Now Paulsboro Mayor John Burzichelli, also a state assemblyman, is seeking to roll back the regulation at the oil industry's urging. An Assembly regulatory panel chaired by Burzichelli on Thursday approved a resolution he sponsored that would give the state 30 days to amend or withdraw the rule, which is unique among East Coast states, New Jersey environmental officials say. The oil industry has argued it is too expensive and provides little environmental benefit.

Clyde A. Mauger Jr., 100, of Chadds Ford, owner of a fuel-oil firm in Chester County, died Saturday, Dec. 4, at his home. Mr. Mauger grew up in Delaware County and graduated from Glen-Nor High School. He studied business at Pennsylvania State University before becoming a dispatcher for Butler Oil Corp. in Southwest Philadelphia. During World War II, he served in the Army Air Force in North Africa and England. He was discharged as a captain and returned to Butler, eventually becoming a vice president.